a question...are you only tuning the A up to C ...or also other stings up... if i was you i wouldn't be worried about snapping a string thats small stuff ...i'd be concerned cos the tension will increase dramatically ..... doing possible damage to your neck or lift the glue on your bridge..... i often seen acoustics whose top is actually warped at the bridge cos of possible too high tension.... anyway alan or one of the technical guys can work out the exact amount of stress an acoustic can take before it rips it's own bridge off.... or just causes it to warp...

peace and light
keira

RustPuppet wrote: As the titles says: if I tune my A string up to C, what are the chances it'll snap? I've snapped plenty B and high E strings before but this is the first time the A is going this high.

I'm asking because I just slapped on a new set of .12 Elixirs on my acoustic and I'm not keen on forking out again for another couple months.

I saw Tony Cox play last weekend. He does one song where he tunes to an open Em, so 5th goes up to B and 4th goes up to E. He says that a string will only do this so many times and then it is guaranteed to snap. He said 5 times. I don't know what make of strings he uses.

Why not drop the others and then capo up?

The tuning I'm after is (low to high) E C D G A D, with a capo across strings 3 to 6.

(I decided that I've learned a number of Andy McKee's tunes but it's time to tackle Rylynn.)

I play Rylynn and tune up every so often with my Larrivee, (with Dean Markley Alchemy or currently trying out Cleartones). Never had a problem going up to a C

Good Luck with the song ?

//edit: but it's only ever to play the song once then it's back to normal tuning.

+1 to both Bob and Keira.

I don't like tuning up more than a tone on acoustic steel - the strings will not last anywhere near as long. Any more than that and I'd rather drop the other strings a tone and only have to raise up the A a half tone.

Many modern acoustics (especially low to mid range models) are not suited for heavy gauges or tuning up too high - the tops will belly up within a year or two. If you're going to do a lot of uptuning, start looking out for a big heavily braced guitar like a J200.

Bob Dubery wrote:
I saw Tony Cox play last weekend. He does one song where he tunes to an open Em, so 5th goes up to B and 4th goes up to E. He says that a string will only do this so many times and then it is guaranteed to snap. He said 5 times. I don't know what make of strings he uses.

Didn't finish the story. He snapped the 5th string on that song.

Hmmm, mixed replies.

I think I may try to figure out how to tune without stretching the A so far as Alan suggested. Failing that I'll just learn the song, get tired of it, and move onto something else ?

Thanks for all the input guys.

Is it not a better idea to tune all the strings two notes down and then tune the A to C which will be effectively only be one up?

Hmmm, so if I tuned every string two notes down (apart from A which would only go one note up) and then moved the capo from 5 up to 7 (across strings 3 to 6), that would give me the same tuning. Could work.

Would this wreak havoc on my axe though?

RustPuppet wrote: Would this wreak havoc on my axe though?

Not at all.

Cool, thanks, I'll give it a go then.

The only problem I foresee is fretting some of those chords that high up the neck. Time to fork out for a cutaway ?